Method of mining coal.



' Patented Oct. 3,1916.

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v UE kw m M II 1 a Hrl WITNESSES H. A. KUHN.

METHOD OF MtNlNG COAL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 9. m5.

1 00,204. Patented Oct. 916.

. 3 SHEETS-S 3.

ww'massss HARRY A. KUHN, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF MINING- COAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

Application filed December 9, 1915. Serial No. 65,941.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY A. KUHN, a citizenof the United States, and resident of Pittsburgh, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Methods of Minin Coal; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to a method of mining coal.

he object of my invention is to provide a method of mining bituminouscoal by means of which the coal is expanded and separated along lines ofits cleavage without the preliminary under-cutting, and the coal removedand conveyed away in lumps without the use of pick or shovel, therebydispensing with the great amount of manual labor heretofore involved inmining such coal.

In some seams of coal where there are slate bands extending horizontallythrough the seam it requires greater expanding forces to be placedwithin the body of the coal in order to separate it along lines of itscleavage on account of the fact that the bands act as a reinforcementthroughout the body of the coal when an attempt is made to expand thecoal into a horizontal out. When explosives are used it therefore.

requires an additional quantity which shatters the coal to a greaterextent than would be necessary if the bands were already severed. It isextremely important in coal mining on account of the "alue of theproduct to secure a maximum quantity of lump coal.

The invention consists, generally stated, therefore, in cutting a kerfinthe wall of the coal at an angle to the floor of the mine whereby thecutting is reduced in amount and any bands Wl'llCll are extendinghorizontally are severed, a minimum amount of expanding forces placedwithin the body of the coal being then required to secure a maximum ercent. of lump coal. Openings are drilled in the solid body of the coaland expanding forces, such as common explosives, placed therein. Thecoal is then expanded along lines of its cleavage and the adhesions moreor less released, the kerf giving the coal an opportunity to expand, andthe coal when expanded moving toward the kerf. After the coal has beenexpanded along lines of its cleavage and the adhesions more or less relase in this manner,

the coal is then removed largely in lump form by under-cutting the coaland dislodglng the same by forces applied within the last-mentionedunder-cut and then conveycd away by the use of the machine, such as; 1s1llustrated and described in an appllcatlon filed by me on the 18th dayof May, 1914, Serial No. 839,333.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional v1ew of a mlne showing the wallof coal and the lrerf made therein, together with the openings for theinsertion of the explosive or expanslve forceyFig. 2 is a like viewafter the coal has been, expanded; Fig. 3 1s a modified form of myinvention in which two kerfs are made in the wall of coal; F g. 4 1s alongitudinal sectional view; Fig. 5 1s a plan View of the machine fordislodglng and removing the coal; Fig. 6 is a side v1ew of same; andFig. 7 is a modified form of my invention.

In the drawings, the numeral 2 designates the rock or slate formation inwhich the seam or body of coal 3 is embedded and from which it is to beremoved.

The numeral 4 indicates the floor of the mlne, 5 the sides and 6 thetop. The wall of coal 3 may have the slate-bands 7 separating the coal1I1t0 upper and lower layers. A kerf 8 is made in the wall of coal byany suitable device and for this purpose the cutter-bar 9 of the machineshown in Figs. 5 and 6 1s adapted. This kerf is shown as vertlcal withreference to the floor of the mine, but may be at any angle thereto.

The machine illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 Is on the same general type asone which forms the subject of the application for Letters Patent of theUnited States, filed by me as above on the 18th day of May, 1914, SerialNo. 839,333, and it has not been deemed necessary to illustrate the samein detail, but only generally. The frame 10 is mounted on a truck 11which has the traction-wheels 12, the frame 10 being supported on anincline in normal position. A motor 13 has its shaft 14 connected up bysuitable gearing with the traction-Wheels 12 by means of which the frame10 is advanced to and from the coal, and the shaft 14 is also connectedup by suitable gearing with the shaft 15 which is provided with thebeveled pinion 16 meshing with the beveled gear 17. The beveled gear 17has the sprocket-wheel 18 around which the chain 19 passes. At heforward end of the frame 10 are the sprocket-wheels 20 around which thechain 19 passes. The chain 19 is providedwith the flights 21 and saidflights have the cutters 22. The flights 21 are also provided with theshoes 23 which are adapted to pass under the mass of coal, as fullyhereinafter set forth, to lift and disrupt the same, said shoes formingthe subject of a separate ap plication filed by me on the 18th day ofMay, 1914, Serial No. 839,335.

The frame 10 is providedwith the pan 24 over which the flights 21 traveland the cutters 22 project beyond said pan at the forward end thereof,so as to cut in under the mass of coal to enable the machine to travelforward and dislodge the coal so that it is moved along the pan by theflights 21 to be deposited in the pit-car 25 at the rear'of the machine.The cutter-bar 9 is connected up with the motor 13 to be driven therebyand to provide for the projection of the cutterbar beyond the end of theframe a sufiicient distance to give the desired depth of cut, the shaft26 is substituted for the shaft 14, whereupon the motor and cutter-bartake the position indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 6.

In carrying out my improved method, the shaft 26 is adjusted in positionso that the cutter-bar 9 projects beyond the front end of the frame 10and the machine is then advanced into the coal the desired distance asindicated in dotted lines, Fig. 6, whereupon the front end of themachine is raised and the cutter-bars being rotated, the kerf is. cut inthe wall of the coal. When this kerf has been made, the holes 27 arethen drilled in the wall of coal at each side of the kerf 8 extendingpreferably upwardly and outwardly as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 1.A suitable explosive or other expansive is inserted in the openings 27andthe coal is shot or expanded, the, result being to separate the coalalong lines of its cleavage as.

indicated in Fig. 2, and, at the same time, the coal expanding toward orinto the kerf 8, gives the coal an opportunity to move toward said kerf.In the meantime, the machine has been withdrawn and the motor brought upinto the position indicated in full lines, Fig. 6, the shaft 14 havingbeen substituted for the shaft 26 and the cutterbar accordinglywithdrawn into the position indicated in said Fig. 6. Power is thenapplied to operate the chain 19, and the ma.- chine is again advanced tothe wall of coal, the cutters 22 cutting under and undermining the coalwhich has been separated along lines of its cleavage, while the shoes 23act to disrupt and separate the coal into lumps, the action of saidshoes being to undulate the coal and assist in the breaking up of thesame into lumps. The coal thus undermined and broken up is dropped ontothe pan 24 and moved along said pan and discharged over same at the rearend into the pit-car 25.

The forward end of the machine may be raised gradually during thisoperation so as be shot and the coal on that side removed before thesecond shot is fired.

By making the kerf 8 the slate-bands 7 are severed and the shooting willtend to crack or break the same so that when the machine is brought intooperation the slate is removed with the coal.

In Fig. 3, I have illustrated two kerfs in the wall of coal which willact to cut the slate bands into smaller sections and in this case, threeshots are employed instead of two, the increased number of kerfs givinggreater opportunity for the coal to expand in, the shooting operation.

' In Fi 1, I have illustrated the kerf 8 over to one side and close tothe side wall. In this case the coal when expanded will move toward thekerf.

What I claim is:'

1. The method .of mining coal consisting inmakingakerf in the wall ofcoal at an angle to the floor of the mine, expanding and disrupting thecoal along lines of its traveling laterally 1n the plane of the floor tofurther disrupt the mass along the lines of its cleavage, andsimultaneously therewith dislodging the mass of disrupted coal andconveying it away.

2. The method of mining coal consisting in making a kerf, in the wall ofcoal at an angle to the floor of the mine, expanding the coal anddisrupting it along lines of its cleavage whereby it moves in thedirection of said kerf, subsequently under-cutting this mass of coal,and lifting the settled'mass with a vertical force traveling laterallyin the plane of the floor, and'simultaneously therewith dislodging themass of coal and conveying it away.

3. The method of mining coal consisting in making a kerf in the wall ofcoal at an angle to the floor of the mine, expanding and disrupting thecoal along lines of its cleavage whereby it moves in the direction ofsaid kerf, subsequently under-cutting this mass of settled coal alongthe plane of the floor, and simultaneously therewith dislodging the massof disrupted coal and conveying it away.

. 4. The method of mining coal consisting in making a kerf in the wallof coal at an angle to the floor of the mine, expanding and disruptingthe coal along lines of its cleavage whereby it moves in the directionof said kerf, subsequently under-mining this settled mass of coal with aforce traveling laterally along the floor of the mine, simultaneouslytherewith dislodging the mass of disrupted coal, and conveying it away.

5. The method of mining coal consisting in making a kerf in the wall ofcoal at an angle to the floor of the mine, expanding and disrupting thecoal along lines of its cleavage whereby it moves in the direction ofsaid kerf, subsequently making an opening in the expanded and disruptedmass of coal, and simultaneously therewith introducing into said lastmentioned opening, conveying and dislodging forces working in the planeof said last mentioned opening 15 whereby the coal is dislodged andconveyed away.

In testimony whereof I, the said HARRY A. KUHN, have hereunto set myhand.

HARRY A. KUHN.

Witnesses:

JOHN F. VVILL, S. F. ARMSTRONG.

